Search for Hebi, search for you
by melonbreadisfine
Summary: Sakura and Naruto have held strong over the years but with one final chance to retrieve Sasuke will it be enough? Hebi is formed, Team Seven split, and Sasuke isn't concentrating on revenge anymore.
1. Introduction

The overhead sky was clear, a vast expanse of cerulean reaching towards the horizon until disappearing behind the outlaying mountain range, empty of the usual storm clouds native to this part of rain country. Forest stretched for miles before fading into grassland's, sweltering with midsummer hear and running for miles on end, a clear trait of this part of the continent, desert temperature and lack of water made it eerily similar to Sand Country.

An overwhelming sense of loss swept over a dishelved group of ninja, haggard from battle and travel, stopping momentarily to bury yet another comrade in the deserted wasteland so distant and unfamiliar, the dwindling fighters had lost their third ally and friend, this time finding it harder to turn away than before. With no way to properly mourn the four remaining reluctantly placed a meager tombstone atop the fresh grave, saying silent prayers of peace in the afterlife before continuing on their journey, short yet another loved one.

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The somber mood of the troop changed to sour when a small fight broke out amongst two of the youngest, the fresh mental wounds fueling their argument until it boiled over. This time the loss was not one to death but anger and hopelessness, the companion's were divided, two remained to finish what they had begun, to bring back an old friend by all means necessary.

"Stop beating yourself up about what happened today, it will turn out fine in the end, you'll see."

The fifteen year olds voice was quite, almost gentle, but her face displayed raw emotion and the words she had just a minute ago said so confidently faded into the surrounding dusk, a frugal promise, a fragile declaration that seemed a lie in times like these.

The fair-headed boy sitting beside her didn't even make an effort to respond, after the tousle with Kiba he had kept to himself, unusual for his personality, something that frightened the roseate girl more than any of today's happenings combined.

If Naruto, her remaining hope and lifeline, gave out she might as well have a kunai through her back, he was the only reason she had left to fight.

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"No, the soil is fresh, they have a substantial lead but we could catch up by tomorrow morning."

Two hooded figures stood above the newly made grave, lazily kicking the upturned dirt with their boot clad feet. One ran his hand over the grave marker, gently tracing the etched name with his forefinger before snatching it away, the spine of the stone splitting under his minimal touch.

"Then that is what we must do. Come, we have no business with the dead."

Overhead the sun had sunken behind distant mountains casting a red glow upon the few clouds, a sign of good luck for the two departing ninja.

"The sky, it matches our cloaks perfectly," one commented. "Perhaps a good omen then."

"For us maybe."


	2. Chapter 1, steady approach

A deep stirring erupted in the back of her mind, animal instinct that remained after all these years of evolution, still ringing true in the face of danger.

Burning sensations ran up her calves and fueled in their steady flight, the boy by her side quickly gaining speed and she pushing herself forward to match it. Soon his back was all she could see and though she tried to call out her throat betrayed her, a whisper that was carried away in the wind.

"Wait, please, don't leave me."

The blonde turned his head and accessed the steadily growing distance between the two but found he could not stop and instead called for her to run faster, faster, still her form became smaller until it was but a speck in the distance.

"Sakura, Sakura hurry their coming, we have to find him, hurry."

"Naruto!"

The girl's cry was more frantic than she had expected, fear mixed with anxiety making for a shrill beckoning. The startled kunoichi was easily spooked after her previous nightmare, hardly leaving her companion's side until now when she had assumed watch duty.

Binoculars were quickly drawn out of her pack, the lenses focusing on an approaching dust storm but the highly trained jounin knew that at the heart of the wind were to ninja, perhaps the two they had encountered only a day ago.

"Naruto, quickly come here, I think I see something!"

Sakura's teammate and friend dropped to his knees beside her, in open plains standing was foolish as you could be spotted for miles around but it seemed that the approaching assassin duo were to powerful to bother hiding themselves, a sign of self-admiration.

"We can't fight them, don't forget our mission."

Naruto nodded, it was true they had their pride but finding the missing puzzle piece to Team Seven was of most importance, it seemed that this was their last chance.

Slinking towards their camp Sakura covered the previous fire's ashes with dirt and brush, packing their few belongings and motioning for the kyuubi boy to follow.

A long run lay ahead of them, what or who was at the end they couldn't be sure. Sasuke was not alone.

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Crimson eyes studied the remains of a scroll, in all actuality a map, tracing the crossroads with a slim finger before coming to a stop at a roughly sketched river identical to the one opposite Team Hebi.

Intrusting the red haired girl with the papers had turned out to be fruitless, the keen chakra sense could not make up for her bad directional skills and now they found they had been lead in a circle.

"Give me the damn map Karin, I don't know why Sasuke putt's up with you and you're air-headedness."

Suigetsu pawed for the scroll but was smacked away by the offended girl who then turned to heir superior with a begging stare. The said man was currently perched in a nearby tree; face blank of emotion save the downward tugging of his lips, souring into a frown of annoyance. Days of wandering had unraveled his tolerance for the three, fighting constantly with the exception of Juugo who kept to himself, an utter relief.

"Give me the map, I should have had it from the start."

"B-but Sasuke, you need to save you're energy. Don't waste you're time on something so pointless."

The man descended quietly and extended his hand to the slightly ruffled kunoichi who reluctantly handed it over without further comment.

"Finding my brother is not pointless, I do apologize though, it was my fault I gave you this job. You may go back to tracking."

Karin felt a wave of shock and disappointment; again she had made a fool of herself in front of Sasuke. She now played the role of doting teammate, filling the spot of a past girl he had left behind.

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"A fire?"

Smoke curled gray like the dawn, weaving between the thin trunks of pine tree's like beckoning fingers, the smell of ash and burnt wood filling the pair's nostrils. It had been the scent that drew them from the nearby plains, refuge amongst the forest canopy, but now they began to suspect the were not alone.

Feeling torn the two decided it safest to investigate since avoiding the possible help would be foolish and life threatening.

"Splitting up would be the safest option, I'll cover the perimeter and you find the source."

And like that Sakura found herself alone, Naruto gone to retrieve the possible aid. Silence pounded her ears, blood in her legs itching from lack of movement, a patrol was needed and in her haste she forgot whom they were searching for.

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"Juugo watch you're head, this worthless shack could crumble any second."

The tall man ducked clumsily through the collapsing doorway, the cramped room becoming all the smaller.

Suigetsu repulsed from the fire that Karin was steadily feeding and instead took to stroking his prized sword near the back wall, a nervous habit that he repeated out of boredom.

"I'm going on patrol, Karin extinguish that fire, do you want enemy ninja to find us so easily?"

The girl shook her puce hair, the day's hardships had brought out her stubborn streak and she was still sore about Sasuke's earlier comment.

"No, like it or not we need this," she motioned to the fire pit," and aren't we strong enough to defend ourselves?"

Sasuke pursed his lips in mild anger but waved off the comment as he abandoned the hut, glad to get some fresh air. Dusk was coming rapidly and soon the surrounding area would be draped in night, a relief of the day's stress.

Although he needed Hebi he could not help but feel some remorse for not picking quieter teammates.

The evening cool made his heart beat faster and he began to pump chakra into his feet, tearing through the trees like a shadow.


	3. Chapter 2, found you, wrong time

Static wails broke the silence of night, white noise that startled the sleeping birds overhead, the unnatural scream causing them to flee from their lofty perch. The comforts of the sky would not replace their fear and the flock set off at random to escape the disturbance causing a stir in the forest below.

"Damn, how do I change the channel on this thing?"

A disgruntled ninja sat cross legged in the crook of an aged oak, hidden by the summer foliage and rapidly growing darkness, though camouflaging with the wooded surroundings she could not seem to keep her mouth from running.

"Naruto, come in Naruto, this is Sakura, I just received a message from the Hokage, over."

A few minutes dragged into an hour before she got a response, a grunt from the other end of the line and the sound of rushing wind, since there was no breeze she assumed it to be running. A flash of cold panic ran up her spine, gooseflesh crawling along the back of her arms. Had her last transmission blown her friend's cover?

"Sakura, are you there? This is Naruto, over."

Thank Kami; she let a breath Escape before telling her teammate her location.

"I'm at the meeting point, I received news from the Hokage, you had better hurry."

"I'll be there in a minute, believe it!"

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"Any particular reason you cut my patrol short?"

Garnet eyes swept over the small, one-room shack, careful to make eye contact with each subordinate before finally resting his gaze on the rapidly dying fire, the last embers burning with the same intensity as his molten gaze. Recently he had received a message via walkie-talkie to return to the temporary hideout, for the sake of all the people here he hoped it was for a good reason.

"W-well Sasuke I had been sensing a chakra for awhile now," Karin swallowed the nausea in the back of her throat before continuing," it's not that strong so I didn't think we would have to worry but…"

The kunoichi trailed off, the heat of Sasuke's glare choking her of her words, either way she realized she was in trouble.

"It got stronger. Much more stronger. Whoever it was came close to our camp before heading in a different direction, south I think. Juugo said that a flock of birds were startled so I thought… it might be something to worry about."

Silence engulfed the camp, tension ripping through the four, who for a while did nothing but stare at the ashes, Sasuke was to sickened to make eye contact, Karin and the rest of team Hebi to afraid.

"Then I will go south."

The doorway now lay empty, the man that once filled it gone to search for the cause of the disturbance.

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A verdant gaze observed nearby wildlife, scoping the dips and curves of a small stream and picking out the violet hint of the sky, night was quickly changing into dawn.

"Then there isn't much time," the shadowed form whispered.

Shrubs clumped at the base of a large oak began to shiver, something or more likely someone, was approaching the clearing.

From the aerial view the ninja could make out a brightly clad boy emerging from the bush's protection, blonde hair tussled slightly from what seemed to be a lengthy jog, collapsing onto the sand bar a few feet away.

The sound of scraping metal brought him to his senses, azure orbs tracing the outline of the forest, too late.

Seconds later a cloud of senbon were piercing the earth but in the boys place there was not but a cloud of smoke.

"Damn, a shadow clone.

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"You did what?"

Naruto was currently nursing a wound over his head, a large purpling welt formed just above his hairline. A look of complete shame and confusion hidden beneath his golden bangs, an excuse on the tip of his tongue.

"I thought, you know, I could cover more ground using shadow clones. I didn't think anyone would spot them so quickly."

Sakura snorted and placed a palm to the kyuubi's forehead, healing the slight bruise without a second glance.

Her teammate had returned with the news of a camp just a mile from their meeting point, three ninja who hadn't seemed hostile until a closer look. It seemed one was a skilled swordsman who had managed to get his hands on Momochi Zabuza's sword, to the two members of team seven it seemed the weapon had come back to haunt them. The others were hardly visible, concealed by the fading night; all he was able to recall was a tall bulky man and a small hot-tempered woman. This was not what worried the kunoichi most though, it seemed one of his shadow clones had been ambushed, he never saw the attacker up close. A feeling in the pit of her stomach told her it was the men they had spotted in the fields a day ago, had they been followed?

"Neh, Sakura, you told me there was a message from the Hokage?"

The girl nodded, motioning to the walkie-talkie strapped to her mid-thigh.

"It seems we're closing in on Sasuke. Root is causing problems for Tsunade-sensei, the sooner we find him and return to Konoha the better."

Naruto opened his mouth to answer but was cut short suddenly, a scream cutting through the eerie silence.

"Please, don't do it! Spare me Uchiha-sama!"


	4. Chapter 3, Of nightmare's and medics

'It seems the rot set in after the exams, the invisible cancer became noticeable, became violent like it's host, and bloomed for all to see, a seed of vengeance and morbid hate. The boy had an absurd ambition, one unlike most of the kids his age, and the blood he yearned to be spilt was forever calling out to him until, like a siren's call, forcing him out of whatever home he had, into the past which is where he has remained… until now that is. '

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Flecks of crimson danced across her line of vision, a flood of brilliant red, until the world was swallowed in a blinding pool of garnet, the outlines of various figures bleeding into her mindset. The cool press of soil met with the arch in her back, a sickening snap wracking her petite frame before echoing into the surrounding forest and fading until silence washed over the clearing, a blanket of suffocating carnage. The side of her head was soaked in warmth, the smell of rust burning her nostrils said enough, giving a last lurch her stomach heaved but since food had been lacking she instead gagged on her spit, and moaned a few words.

"N-Naruto, where… are, where are you?"

The reply made her wish she could vomit, made her wish she could scream, but her throat betrayed her by collapsing in on itself, the sore tissue like needles set aflame.

"You know as well as I the boy won't come. To busy I'm afraid. What with chasing after my brother like a love struck puppy, it was a matter of time before it came down to him or you."

"T-That's not, not true, he wouldn't leave me… Naruto don't go, please! Don't t-turn out like…"

"Like me?"

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"Sakura, the dreams are getting worse aren't they?"

Her head snapped back, how long had she been asleep? Where was Sasuke, they had seen Sasuke!

Then the memory weighed down on her, like lead coating her very heart, the image of her former teammate standing over a lifeless body, one that belonged to an unfortunate rouge that had happened upon him.

"_Please, don't do it! Spare me Uchiha-sama!"_

_A cool hand slithering like a serpent up the side of her arm before ensnaring itself at the base of her neck, two words and then emptiness, not even a struggle, not even a scream._

"_I'm back."_

"Sakura, do you need to rest? We can stop now if you'd like."

"No."

The urgency in her voice betrayed the cool façade she was wearing for her friend, truly desperation was growing at the pit of her stomach, an ache of loneliness. Her nightmares were of a type of warning, Naruto just couldn't leave her, and she wouldn't let him. If that meant pushing herself until she broke, it wouldn't matter, she would be there.

There was a time when she could say the same for Sasuke.

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"Sasuke where were you?"

"The disturbance is out of the way, but I have now a new mission along with the execution of Itachi…"

"Which is?"

"Every team needs a medic…"


End file.
